Why should hybrid car owners with driveways install a charge point?
It’s a great question and one we’ve been asked many times, which makes the answer important information we should share with you.
Let’s be clear, I’m not talking about mild hybrids where energy is created through braking and stored in a small battery to slightly improve fuel efficiency.
I’m talking about full hybrids, which have a separate rechargeable battery that needs charging with electricity through a cable. And have a range of circa 30 miles before the combustion engine kicks in.
Let’s take this recent charge point installation as an example…
This was not a standard installation. It’s an old house with extra thick walls with a long 20 metre cable run from the house, under a couple of flags and through a grassed garden.
It took Micky (one of experienced installers) a full day, half of which was digging the trench and the other half completing the safe electrical installation.
The customer choose this socketed Sync EV (which is the smallest EV charge point in the world) because they wanted something stylish and discreate, plus it had to fit on the gate post.
Here’s the thing though. They only have a full hybrid car. So why go the expense of fitting a charge point when you can charge from a standard plug socket to full overnight?
Because they’re clever. They found out the government charge point grant (worth £350) is changing next year, moving from people with driveways to more challenging charging situations.
They also know after this hybrid, they’re next vehicle will be full electric, and a charge point will definitely be required, but by then their opportunity to claim the grant will have vanished.
So, as their full hybrid is on the charge point grant approval list, they’ve done it now, saving £350. Whilst also dramatically reducing their hybrid battery charging to just an hour.
…the learning? If you’ve got a full hybrid on the grant approval list, why not be clever too?
